Nature Breaking

The term "blue foods" refers to any food that comes from an aquatic source – whether that be the ocean, a river, or the like. These foods represent a staple for the diets of billions of people around the globe. Blue foods also matter against the backdrop of climate change because they produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to land-based food production. But in some situations, harvesting blue foods can upset delicate marine ecosystems. And, as global stocks of sought-after food items like tuna and cod become more scarce, we've increasingly seen competition for blue foods lead to conflicts between nations. In short, as much as we need blue foods to serve as a low-emissions food source for Earth's growing population, we also need to root out practices that harm freshwater and marine ecosystems, and global security. Joining the show today to talk about these issues are Johan Bergenas, WWF's Senior Vice President for Oceans; and Melissa Ho, WWF's Senior Vice President for Freshwater and Food. You'll hear Johan and Melissa talk about the role of blue foods in the context of global food systems (1:55), which factors are driving international conflict around blue foods (4:30), and how we can reduce that conflict by improving predictive capabilities (10:42) and scaling up practices like aquaculture to bolster food security (15:12).

LINKS: WWF Food Page

WWF Oceans Page

Oceans Futures Initiative

AquaInvest Platform

Johan Bergenas bio

Melissa Ho bio

Snow leopards are among the hardest animals to find in the wild, both because of how rare they are, and because their coats are adapted to provide camouflage that makes them hard to see against the rugged mountain landscape they call home. That's why they are sometimes call the "ghosts of the mountain." With an estimated 4,000-6,500 snow leopards remaining in the wild, conservationists have been working in snow leopard range countries across Asia to build a more stable future for these big cats. And recently, Bhutan reported some good news: the population of snow leopards in that country has increased by nearly 40% since 2016. In this episode, you'll hear from Dechen Dorji, Senior Director for Asia on WWF's Wildlife Conservation team. He talks about the many characteristics that make snow leopards unique (5:07), the threats that have caused snow leopard populations to decline (13:01), and what we can learn from Bhutan's recent success to help snow leopards thrive across all 12 range countries they call home (17:52).

LINKS:

WWF Snow Leopard page

Press Release: Bhutan National Snow Leopard Survey

Dechen Dorji bio

Most of us know the bison as one of the iconic American species. In fact, it's the official US National Mammal. These animals once numbered in the tens of millions across North America, and they held a sacred place in the lives and traditions of Native Nations across the continent. But by the late 1800s, barely 500 bison remained. In this episode, you'll hear from Dennis Jorgensen, WWF's bison program manager; and Monica Rattling Hawk, WWF's Native Nations liaison. They discuss the history of the Plains bison and its relationship with Native Nations (6:48), the threats that drove bison to the brink (11:35), and the work WWF and many others are still engaged in today to ensure that the bison have a vibrant future (16:15). Be sure to stay tuned until the end of the episode for a special message from Ken Burns about his new documentary, "The American Buffalo," which premiered on PBS this week (33:03).

LINKS:

WWF bison page

Story & Video: 100 Bison Find a New Home with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Dennis Jorgensen Bio

Monica Rattling Hawk Bio

The American Buffalo, a film by Ken Burns

We’d normally have a new episode out for you today, but we’re modifying our release schedule this week because we’ve got a special episode about bison conservation timed to the release of the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS, The American Buffalo. This two-part series will conclude tonight, Tuesday, October 17, at 8:00pm ET, so we decided to release our complementary episode on bison a day late. That way you can watch the documentary, and come back to Nature Breaking tomorrow for an in-depth discussion with two WWF experts about the history of the plains bison, its relationship with Native nations, the threats that drove bison to the brink, and the work WWF and many others are still engaged in today to ensure that the bison have a vibrant future.

So, keep an eye on this space for a new episode tomorrow morning. That’s Wednesday, October 18. And going forward, we’ll be back to our usual release schedule of new episodes every other Tuesday. Thanks for listening!!

Much of the climate progress we've secured in the last few years has been spurred by the urgent calls to action from young people who are already living with the consequences of decisions that were made by older generations. For this episode, we spoke with one person who has been at the forefront of youth climate organizing and activism. Alexia Leclercq is the winner of WWF's 2022 Conservation Leadership Award, which is given out annually to recognize exceptional young leaders in the environmental space. Alexia is a grassroots organizer, educator, scholar, and artist who recently received a graduate degree from Harvard University. They co-founded the Colorado River Conservancy in 2020 to protect the stretch of that river that runs along their hometown of East Austin, Texas. And they co-lead Start:Empowerment, a non-profit that aims to bolster climate justice education. In this episode Alexia talks about what motivated them to become involved in the climate movement (1:48), the importance of organizing as a tool to build "people power" (9:20), and their advice for the next generation of climate leaders (17:45).

LINKS:

2022 Conservation Leadership Award Announcement: Alexia Leclercq

WWF Magazine: "Activist Alexia Leclercq is changing how—and what—students learn about climate change"

Alexia Leclercq homepage

2023 Conservation Leadership Award Announcement: Charitie Ropati

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the NEST Climate Campus in New York, where WWF hosted two days of programming for Climate Week NYC – an annual showcase for the latest in climate policy and activism on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. Our guests for this special event were Sheila Bonini, WWF's Senior Vice President for Private Sector Engagement, and James McCall, Chief Sustainability Officer for HP Inc. Sheila and James spoke about how companies can complement the work of governments to address the global climate and nature crises (6:23), how WWF and HP are working together to protect and restore forest ecosystems in critical areas around the world (15:05), and what's surprised them most about partnering with each other on these issues (27:53).

LINKS:

WWF & HP Partnership Page

James McCall Bio

Sheila Bonini Bio

NEST Climate Campus

Climate Week NYC

YouTube Livestream Recording

September 5 is World Amazon Day, and we're celebrating with an episode about the many things that make the Amazon rain forest so special. For example, did you know that the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world? It covers an area nearly the size of the entire continental United States, and it's home to about one in 10 known species on Earth. It also helps stabilize the local and global climate. But it also faces challenges from deforestation, climate change, and more. In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Meg Symington, WWF's vice president for the Amazon. Meg talks about how she first fell in love with the rain forest (2:30), why the Amazon matters so much to both local communities and the world at large (4:18), the many threats it faces (7:00), and what solutions are needed to keep it intact for future generations (13:27). Later, for our Supporters Sound Off segment, you'll hear from Marianne Spindel, a WWF Hero from Florida, about what inspires her passion for nature (24:55).

LINKS:

Register for our LIVE podcast in New York

Thomas Lovejoy Science for Nature Symposium

WWF Amazon Page

Meg Symington Bio

Become a WWF Hero

The last 12 months or so have been marked, in part, by the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a mainstream tool. But did you know that AI has been helping with conservation projects for years? This episode features a conversation with Dave Thau, WWF's Global Data and Technology Lead Scientist. Dave has years of experience using AI to help make sense of different data inputs that are important for monitoring the health of species and ecosystems. You'll hear Dave talk about how AI is being used to combat deforestation and reduce poaching (3:54), some of the potential risks that come along with applying AI to conservation projects (13:45), and his vision for how AI could one day help to establish a Global Environmental Management System that leverages local-level data to paint a global picture of environmental health (15:50). Last, Dave fields a question from ChatGPT itself (24:50).

LINKS:

Register for our LIVE podcast in NYC!

Medium Blog Series: "G.AI.A - Nature and Artificial Intelligence"

Dave Thau bio

WWF's Forest Foresight initiative

Global Forest Watch

Global Fishing Watch

Wildlife Insights

Seaweed is an incredibly versatile product. It's showing up more and more on our plates in restaurants and at grocery stores. But seaweed can also be used as animal feed for livestock, and it can even be used as an alternative to plastic in packaging. Importantly, seaweed farming requires no land, freshwater, fertilizer, or pesticides. And it also improves the health of surrounding waters while absorbing carbon, meaning it could play an important role in combatting climate change. Today's episode features a conversation with Bailey Moritz, WWF's Lead Specialist for Seaweed and Shellfish Farming. Bailey explains the basics of seaweed farming (3:40), the environmental and economic benefits of incorporating seaweed into people's diets (5:55), and how exactly seaweed can help reduce methane emissions from animals (14:02). She also explains how seaweed helps to absorb carbon pollution (15:50), and discusses the barriers currently preventing seaweed farming from taking off on a bigger scale in North America and Europe (22:30). Finally, in a new segment called Supporters Sound Off, WWF supporter Nina Sparks shares what inspired her passion for the environment (31:12).

LINKS:

WWF Seaweed Page

WWF Heroes Page

BONUS EPISODE: The last few weeks have brought an unprecedented series of extreme weather events. At a global scale, July 4th went down as potentially the warmest day in recorded history. And more locally, communities from Arizona to China have been breaking all-time records for heat. We've also seen wildfires in Canada sending smoke into communities from Detroit to Washington, and intense floods inundating areas of Vermont and New York. It's clear that climate change is fueling a season of extreme weather. Dr. Stephanie Roe, WWF's Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist, joins this episode to discuss whether these climate impacts match up with previous scientific projections, the role of El Niño in exacerbating underlying climate conditions, and the steps we need to take to avoid the worst effects of climate change in the future.

LINKS:

WWF's Climate Page

IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report

Washington Post: "Floods, fires and deadly heat are the alarm bells of a planet on the brink"

POLITICO: "'We are not prepared': Disasters spread as climate change strikes"